Anticipating the very likely need for rapid medical evacuation, a fleet of ambulances from several regional hospitals took up positions Saturday at the edge of Fairview Park, where a group of 41-year-old former college friends had gathered for a casual game of touch football.

EMT crews wasted no time readying an extensive supply of ice packs, neoprene wraps, and transport gurneys while the men, most of whom had played often in their teens and early 20s and not a single time since, split into teams and agreed on the location of the end zones.

"As soon as dispatch informed us that 15 middle-aged guys were talking about 'tossing the old pigskin around,' everyone on duty stopped what they were doing and got here as fast as possible," said ambulance driver Reed Macallen, opening a fresh package of Ace bandages and making sure his defibrillator's batteries were charged. "Given the widely varying levels of physical fitness and lack of any protective gear whatsoever, it's only a matter of time before emergency medical services are required."